Commercial aircraft typically include an interior cabin that may be divided into numerous sections. A cockpit is generally separated from a passenger cabin, which may include a first class section, a business class section, and a coach section. The passenger cabin may also include one or more work areas for flight personnel, such as galleys, which may include food and beverage storage structures. One or more aisles pass through the passenger cabin and connect each of the passenger sections to one or more paths to one or more doors of the aircraft.
Overhead stowage bins are typically positioned above rows of seats within a commercial aircraft. Each overhead stowage bin is configured to be moved between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, passengers may place carry-on luggage within a moveable bin or bucket. Before the aircraft leaves a terminal, flight attendants ensure that each stowage bin is securely closed.
Stowage bins are being developed in which electrical components may be mounted thereon. For example, an electric latch or lock may be mounted to a bucket of an overhead stowage bin. In order to supply power to the electric latch or lock, standard electrical connectors are typically used. For example, a standard plug and receptacle style connector may be used to electrically connect an electric lock on a moveable bucket to a fixed strongback.
However, space between a strongback and a bucket may not be large enough to accommodate such electrical connectors. Further, during an assembly process, the process of securing the separable portions of an electrical connector to a stowage bin may provide difficult and awkward. Indeed, certain electrical connectors may be very difficult to mount to certain moving parts of a stowage bin. Further, wiring between a fixed strongback and a moveable bucket may be susceptible to being pinched and damaged as the bucket is moved with respect to the strongback.